Ornamental topiaries are utilized for decorative purposes in many home lawns and gardens, as well as public shopping malls, parks, and recreational centers. Topiaries may be formed using a metal frame in the general shape of a picturesque figurine or object. A large quantity of moss, such as sphagnum moss, may be tightly pressed into and about the metal frame. The moss may be bound to the topiary metal structure with wire or string, such as monofilament fishing line. Ivy or other suitable vegetation, selected for color and growth characteristics, is cultivated on the outside surfaces of the topiary, with the ivy roots penetrating the tightly bound moss. Topiaries may be of almost unlimited shape and design, and often will take geometrical forms or artistically depict animal or human figures.
Due to their various shapes and structure, topiaries present significant problems with respect to maintenance of sufficient moisture distribution throughout the entirety of the moss body. This problem is exacerbated for those topiaries located inside a building or mall, where normal garden watering procedures cannot be used without causing at least some risk associated with spilled or excess water on the floor. It is highly desirable for the entire exterior moss layer of the topiary to remain damp to promote root growth, so that the plant leaves on the exterior of the topiary remain healthy. However, there is a tendency for moisture to migrate to specific regions of the topiary or dissipate quickly from other regions. There is also a tendency for some regions of the topiary to dry more quickly due to wind, sun and/or high surface area per unit of moss. Concentration of the water will tend to promote exterior growth on some surface areas but will restrict growth in other areas. Where possible, regularly applied frequent soaking of the entire topiary will alleviate some of these problems. However, for administrative reasons or practical reasons relating to the location of the topiary, such frequent soaking is not always possible. It is also undesirable to spend a large amount of time maintaining the topiary moisture content.
Canisters containing a volume of water have been used in planter boxes to supply water through a wick to the soil in the planter. Planter boxes lose water mainly from the top surface, which is also the surface where growth is cultivated. Water loss typically occurs much more slowly in a planter box than in a topiary because of the greater density of the soil, and because the soil is not exposed to the atmosphere on all sides. Furthermore, the concentration of moisture in a lower part of the planter box is not a serious problem, because such concentration does not necessarily result in inadequate moisture to the vegetation at the top of the planter box. Excessive dripping which is likely to occur in a topiary generally does not occur in a planter box. Support for a canister in a planter box is typically provided by the lower layer of soil, and an upper soil layer is thus piled on the canister. Many topiaries do not utilize soil, and the moss cannot reliably support the canister.
There is a need to economically solve these watering problems associated with topiaries in a manner which is efficient, which ideally is applicable to topiaries maintained in both indoor and outdoor environments, and which maintains a level of moisture throughout the topiary sufficient to promote growth over the entire exterior surface of the topiary. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate the present invention solves or substantially alleviates these and other problems.